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Recently
actress Mary Wadkins visited the Hotchkiss School and performed her
one-hour version of William Luce's "The Belle of
Amherst". It was attended by about 500 students, grades 9-12,
who came away with a sense of a great poet's humanity, something
difficult to acquire in any other way. Since then, their comments
have been unreservedly enthusiastic: "I didn't really want to
go, but I'm glad I did. She was great"; "She made Emily
Dickinson live for me"; "I realize now that Emily Dickinson
was a real human being, not just a weirdo"; "I love the way
Ms. Wadkins was able to make a second person appear on the stage";
"I was really affected by what Emily Dickinson said about losing
her parents." Remarks like these were profuse, clearly
indicating student affinity for both actress and poet. Any teacher
knows that this sort of personal involvement in literature by students
is a coup.
Mary
Wadkins is also a marvelously professional person to work with.
She arrived early enough on Wednesday afternoon to dress the set and
make the unhurried arrangements with our Technical Director about
lighting cues. The fact that nothing was rushed let us know how
seriously she takes her performances. Being Emily for one hour,
let alone two, requires enormous concentration, and Ms. Wadkins
obviously knows what it takes to put herself in the right frame of
mind. When, finally, she appears on stage, Emily Dickinson is very
much alive.
On
Thursday morning, in spite of an incipient cold, Ms. Wadkins graciously
consented to be available for close to three hours of discussing with
students in several English classes. There she was able to explain
how the role came to her, the kind of research she had to engage in, the
loneliness of a one-woman show, her own affinities with Emily Dickinson
as a person, and some of the difficulties she experienced with the
poetry. Patient and humorous, she was also forthright about
herself, letting students understand some of her own vulnerabilities as
person and actress. Students were much impressed by her
genuineness, as well as by her knowledge and experience.
The
Hotchkiss School and I personally enthusiastically recommend Mary
Wadkins to other schools interested in making Emily Dickinson accessible
to their students. We are already looking forward to a return
engagement several years down the road. Bravo! |
